Charming Ever After
by docsangel
Summary: What if Jax didn't die? What if he faked his death on his own and moved clear across the country? Can the woman that takes him in help him heal his heart and fall in love again?
1. Chapter 1

Echo my dear, this one is especially for you. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1

"Fuck." I say, trying to fix the door on the barn. "I really need to hire someone. Shit." I say. I get the the door, barriered up and head to the truck. I drive into town to get some groceries. I head back to the butcher, James and he speaks when he sees me. "Hey Echo. How's it going?" he asked. "Good, James. How's Marti doing?" I asked. "Good. She said to thank you for the eggs." he says and I smile. "Hey, you don't happen to know anyone looking for a job do you? I could use some help around the farm." I asked. "Not right off hand." he says. I get what I came for and head to the checkout. As I'm putting my things in the truck, a man walks up to me. Putting my hand at the small of my back where I keep my gun, he says "I'm sorry. I heard you say you were looking to hire someone at your farm?" he asked. I look him over and notice that he's very nice looking, blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes. "You ever worked on a farm before?" I asked. "No but I learn quick." he says. "What did you do before for work?" I asked, as he lifts the big bag of dog food into the back of the truck for me. "I was a mechanic." he says. "Where are you staying?" I asked, curious. "Wherever I can, honestly." he says. I look at him for a minute, noticing he has a duffle bag over his shoulder. "Okay. Throw your shit in the back and get in." I say.

We get in the truck and as I crank the truck, I say, "I'm Echo Jones." I say. "Jax Teller." he says. "Well, Jax Teller, job is seven days a week, meals and room provided. You good with that?" I asked. "Yes ma'am." he says. "None of that ma'am shit. Call me Echo." I say and smile. He smiles back and it's that panty dropping smile. Shit.

Pulling up to the farm, we get out and he helps me get the groceries out of the back. Heading into the house, we put things down and my sister, Kari is in the kitchen. "Kari, this is Jax. Jax, this is my sister Kari. Kari, do you care to put these up so I can show Jax around? He's going be helping out around here." I asked. "Sure. Nice meeting you Jax." she says before looking at me and raising her eyebrows. I shake my head and lead him outside.

"You'll be helping me with repairs, cleaning the barn, normal shit like that. It's pretty much same shit each day but out here, no one bothers us. Closest house is about five miles out. There are horses in the barn that need to be taken out daily. During off time, I like to ride. You're welcome to come along anytime." I explain. Showing him around and showing what needs to be done. "We get up at 4am and don't stop until it's all done. Breakfast is at 4:30. Kari does the cooking and handling the house while we handle everything else." I tell him. "Got it." he says. "Kari and I took over this farm after our parents died and been running it alone for the last eight years." I tell him. "Wow. That can't be easy." he says. "You do what you gotta do, right?" I asked. "Yeah. I get that." he says. "So, tell me a little about you." I say. "Grew up in California, oldest of two kids. Moved out here about a month ago and been looking for work since." he says. "Wow. Georgia is a long way from California. You said you were a mechanic before?" I asked. "Yeah. Worked in my family's garage." he says. "Let me show you something." I say before leading him to the other side of the barn. "This was my dad's old work truck, I know some about working on shit but I have not been able to figure out what the hell's wrong with it." I say. "I can take a look at it." he says. I pop the hood and he leans over to look at the engine. "Can you try to crank it?" he asked. I get in and turn the key. "One more time." he says after doing something that I can't see and it still doesn't crank. "Do you know what's wrong with it?" I asked. "Yeah. The wires connecting to the starter need to be replaced. Won't be too hard to do. We can head to town tomorrow and get the wires if you want." he says. "Yeah." I say.

We head back towards the house and Kari meets us at the door. "Dinner's almost ready. Get washed up." she says. Jax grabs his bag out of the back of the truck, heading inside behind me, I lead him down the hallway. "Here's your room. It's not much but it's got a bed, dresser and your own tv." I say. "It's fine." he says. "I'll let you get settled. Dinner will be done in a few. Just come out when you're ready." I tell him and he says "Thanks again."

Walking into the kitchen, Kari looks at me. "Where'd you find him? He's hot." she says. "Picked him up at the store." I say and hear him behind me, "I was on sale." We look at him and he has thi sexy smirk on his face. Fucking hell. Sitting down to eat, Kari asks "So, Jax, you got a girlfriend?" I glare at her. Of course she'd be the one to ask that. "Nah. Don't have a girl. Not for a long time now." he says, glancing at me. I feel my face heat up. Shit. "What about you two? Boyfriends?" he asked smirking. "I'm seeing Jacob. He helps out here part time while he's in school but Echo here, she's definitely single." Kari says and I say "I need to make my nightly rounds." I get up from the table and take my plate to the sink and head out the door. "She okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Her last boyfriend was an ass. Treated her like shit and then married her best friend." Kari tells him.

Jax gets up from the table. "Thanks for dinner." he says before following me outside. Standing in the stables, petting my baby, Rayne, I hear someone come in. "Hey." he says softly. "Hey" I say, turning around. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Just needed to check on my baby here." I say. He walks over and lightly pets Rayne's nose. "She's never let anyone other than me touch her." I say slightly surprised. "Must be a good judge of character." he says and we both laugh. Kissing Rayne's nose, I say "Let's head in the house. Got an early morning coming."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

We head back to the house and head inside. I show Jax where the shower is and he heads inside. I go into my room and lay down but can't sleep. After an hour or so, I get up and walk out to the front porch. Sitting in the swing I just sit and think. I hear the front door open. Kari walks out and sits next to me. "You okay?" she asked. "Yeah. Just can't sleep." I tell her. "You know it's gonna be okay." she says. Looking at her I say "I know." I tell her. "You deserve better than that asshat anyway." Kari says. "Kari, I've pretty much accepted that I'll be alone and I'm okay with that." I tell her but don't know if I am trying to convince myself or her.

After a little while talking to my sister, I finally head to bed to get some sleep. But none of it is restful. I've not had a good nights sleep since Carter ended things with me for my best friend Dana. I get up, dressed and head to the kitchen. Kari is there and breakfast is almost done. Jax walks in ready for the day in his work boots, jeans that seem to fit just right and a white t-shirt under a flannel shirt. "Embracing the farmer style huh?" Kari asked jokingly. Smiling he says "When in Rome." I just shake my head and grab my plate from Kari. Jax does the same and we sit down to eat.

After breakfast, Jax and I head out. "What's on the agenda first?" he asked. "Fixing the barn door. The hinges are messed up. I got the old ones off but it's hard to put the doors back up alone." I tell him. He nods and we head to the barn. Once the doors are back on, which was surprisingly easier with his help, we head to feed the horses. "You have any animals other than horses?" he asked. "Just chickens. Some of the locals buy the eggs from us so that brings in a good chunk of the income here. Once we feed the horses, we'll take care of the eggs and feed the chickens." I tell him. Again he nods. We head out to the stables and the first thing I do is walk over to say good morning to Rayne. "Hey Baby Rayne. How's my girl this morning?" I asked as I nuzzle her nose. "You love her don't you?" he asked. "Yeah. My dad got her for me a couple of months before he died. She was just a colt then. I raised her. She's my rock. Most people go for a drive when they need to clear their head. All I have to do is come out here and take her for a ride and it's like everything gets better. More clear." I tell him. "I can understand that. I used to ride a Harley. Getting out on the open road, nothing mattered but you and ride." he says. "Exactly. Nothing else mattered." I say. We get the chickens fed and the eggs pulled and head to town to get the part for dad's truck.

I pull my truck up in front of the local auto parts store and Jax and I get out. We head in and get the wires that we need and Jax suggests that we change out the starter too just for good measure and I agreed. After getting the parts, we head outside to the truck and I freeze. "You okay?" Jax asked. Before I could answer, they are right in front of me. "Echo. Hey. How have you been?" Carter asked. I look at him and then at Dana and see her hand resting on her very pregnant stomach. Jax looks at me and then at the couple and introduces himself. "Hey, I'm Jax." he says. "Carter and this is my wife Dana." Carter says, shaking Jax's hand. "How have you been, Echo?" he asked and I finally find my voice. "I'm good. Jax, we need to get back. There's a lot we need to get done today." I say before turning and heading towards the truck. "Good meeting you both." Jax says before following me, leaving Carter and Dana standing there. Getting in the truck, I don't say anything. "You okay?" Jax asked. "Yeah." I say simply but don't take my eyes off the road. "You don't seem okay. Who was that back there?" he asked. "No one. I'm okay, Jax." I say and the rest of the car ride was spent in silence.

Pulling up to the house, I asked Jax, "If you don't care, go ahead and work on the truck. When you're done, take the rest of the day." I say before walking off towards the stables. I walk up to Rayne's stable. "Come on baby. Momma needs to get out of here." I say before putting her saddle on her and heading out to the trails alone.

Back at the house, Kari comes outside and asks "Where's Echo?" Jax looks out in the direction that I went and said, "I don't know." Kari walks out to stand beside Jax and sees that he's watching me walk towards the stables. "Something happened." she said. Jax asks "How'd you know that?" Kari says "It's the only time that she rides Rayne in the middle of the day. What happened while you were gone?" Jax says "We got what we needed to fix your dad's truck and when we came out of the store, ran into someone she knew. Carter and Dana? She couldn't get out of there fast enough once she saw them." Kari rubs her hand down her face. "Fuck." she says. "What?" Jax asked clearly confused. "Let's sit down." she says. They walk over to the steps and Kari fills Jax in on who Carter and Dana are. "You remember last night when I told you that her ex was an ass? Well, Carter is her ex. Dana was her best friend. When Echo was seventeen, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. She had to have a hysterectomy and can't have kids. Carter left her for Dana, telling her that he needed to be with someone that could give him kids that she wasn't much of a woman if she couldn't give him babies." Kari explained. "God damn it." Jax says rubbing his hands down his face. "What?" Kari asked. "Dana's pregnant." he says. "Shit. Look, we need to keep an eye on her these next few days. When he left her, she stopped eating and wasn't sleeping. She'll work herself to death if we don't stop her." Kari says. "Yeah. I'll keep an eye on her." Jax says. "You got kids?" Kari asked. "Yeah. Two boys. A friend of mine is keeping them while I get on my feet." Jax says. "Mom in the picture?" she asked. "No. She died a couple of years ago." he says sadly. "I'm sorry." Kari says. "Thanks. Look, I'm gonna go work on the truck and wait on her to come back. I'll keep an eye on her." Jax says before getting up and walking towards the truck.

Riding around, Rayne seems to sense something's wrong. She always does. Dismounting her by the streams, I tie her to the tree and sit down on one of the rocks and cry. She's pregnant. She's giving him what I couldn't. Maybe he's right. No man wants a woman that can't give him kids. I sit there for a couple of hours before heading back to the house. I put Rayne back in her stable when I hear a voice. "I got the truck fixed. Started right up." Jax says. "Thanks." is all I say. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah. I'm fine." I say. He walks over and pulls me to him and I break down and cry again. Pulling back I say "Sorry about that. Uh, I think I'm gonna go shower. Enjoy the rest of your day." I say before walking off, leaving him standing there.

I walk into the house and into my shower. I sob the entire time before getting out and crawling into bed. I just lay there crying. Kari knocks on the door and says "Dinner's ready." I don't say anything. I just lay there. "Echo you need to eat." she says and I still just lay there. No one says anything else to me the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Waking up the next morning, I have barely been to sleep. Getting up and heading to the shower, I get ready for the day. Waking into the kitchen, I get my travel mug down and pour my coffee. "Morning." Kari says. "Morning." I say. Jax walks in and say "Morning ladies." Kari says "Morning, Jax." I just say "Morning." I put the lid on my mug and head out the door without another word. I walk out to the stables to check on Rayne and drink my coffee. "You need to eat something." Jax says from behind me. "I'm fine. You ready to work?" I asked. "Whatever you need." he says. "I'll handle the chickens. Can you feed the horses for me? While you're doing that I'll canvas the fence and then we can go get what we need to mend the weak spots." I say. "Sure." he says simply. I go to walk by him and he grabs my arm, stopping me. "You okay?" he asked. "Peachy keen." I tell him as I pull out of his grasp and head to feed the chickens.

Once I finish pulling the eggs and get them in cartons, Kari comes out. "Can you deliver these for me? I need to canvas the fence." I ask her. "Sure." she says as she helps me load them in the front of my truck. She heads out and I get in on the fourwheeler to start heading to the fenceline. I ride around and see several weak spots, making notes of each spot and what we need. Pulling back up to the house, I see Jax standing there with a bottled water waiting on me. "You ready to go?" I asked. "Yeah." he says before getting in the driver's side. I don't argue. I hand him the keys and we head to town.

Getting what we need, I show him the first spot that needs to be done and we get to work. The only words spoken are what's needed to get the job done. Once the fence is done, we head back to the house and shower. I grab a water and head out to the gazebo that dad built for mom years ago and sit. Jax comes out and says "Dinner's done." I don't look at him but say "I'm good. I'll be inside in a bit." I tell him. He sits down beside me. "You need to eat. I know for a fact you haven't eaten today." he says. "I'm fine Jax. I need to go check on Rayne." I say before getting up and walking off.

Heading off to the stables, I go over to Rayne and decide to start shoveling out the stables. Pulling each horse out one by one, I start shoveling everything out and laying new hay. Three stalls in, Jax comes in. "Echo, it's midnight. What are you still doing out here?" he asked. "Getting these stalls cleaned. You should head to bed. Gotta get up in a few hours." I say without looking at him and without stopping what I'm doing. He walks over and takes the shovel from me. "What are you doing?" I asked. "You need to sleep." he says. "I'm fine." I say. "You're not fine. Kari sees it and I see it. You haven't eaten since yesterday morning and now you're up working at midnight which tells me you aren't sleeping. You're gonna kill yourself doing this shit." he says. "What do you know?" I asked, getting pissed. "I know more than you think. I know what Carter told you when he left you." he says. I look at him shocked. "How do you know about that?" I asked. "Kari told me." he says. "It wasn't her place to say shit." I seethe. "She told me because I told her about running into him and his wife today." he tells me. I feel the tears trying to fall and try to fight them off but it doesn't work. The minute they start to fall, Jax pulls me to him and wraps his arms around me. "It's okay." he says. "No it's not. It will never be okay." I tell him. He pulls back to look at me and asks "Why not? Because some asshat told you that you weren't worth it? That's bull shit." he says. I pull away from him. "It doesn't matter. It's done." I say before trying to walk back over to get more work done.

Before I can pick the shovel back up, I feel him turn me around and pick me up. Putting me over his shoulder, he carries me inside and into the kitchen. Sitting me down, he sits the plate that Kari put in the microwave in front of me with a water and says "Eat. I'm not letting you up until you eat." I glare at him and say "Who do you think you are?" He smirks at me and says "The person that's not going to let you kill yourself over some stupid fuck that didn't know a good woman when he had her." I look at him shocked. Shaking my head, I pick at my food. Once I've eaten enough to satisfy Jax, he takes the plate and puts it in the sink. Taking my hand he leads me to my room and sits me down on the bed. Taking off my shoes, I lay down and he lays with me. "What are you doing?" I asked still shocked at how he's being with me. "Making sure you sleep." he says as he takes his shoes off and lays on the bed next to me. I lay under the covers and he lays on top of them. "Good night Echo." he says. "Night." is all I say.

Waking up the next morning, after only three hours sleep, Kari knocks on the door, waking us. "Echo, breakfast is almost done." she says before walking away from the door. I open my eyes and feel warm breath on the back of my neck and an arm around my waist. Turning onto my back, I see his eyes open and he smiles softly. "Morning." he says softly. "Morning." I say back. "How'd you sleep?" he asked. "Better than I have in a while. Thank you." I say. "Anytime." he says. "Kari said breakfast is almost done. Guess we should get ready for our day. Gonna be a long one." I say. "Yeah. I'll be out there in a minute. Gotta head to my room to change." he says, getting up off the bed. I can't help but admire how his sweatpants hang low and the muscles in his back move when he does. I shake my head. He works for me. I can't be looking at him like he's a piece of meat.

Getting up and getting dressed, I head to the kitchen. "How are you this morning?" Kari asks me, concerned. "I'll be okay." I say. Before she can say anything else, Jax walks in and Kari hands him his plate. He grabs one for me and hands it to me and says "Sit down and eat." I look at him and he says a sarcastic "Please." I roll my eyes and grab the plate before sitting down and eating. Once I was done, I put the plate in the sink and ask Jax "After we get the stalls and the chickens done, you wanna go for a ride?" He smirks and says "Sure. I've never been on a horse before so you'll have to show me how." I nod and say "Okay." I head out onto the porch to wait for him and I hear Kari ask "She never invites anyone along when she rides. What happened last night?" I hear Jax say "She was out at midnight in the stables. I carried her inside and got her to eat and laid down with her to get her to sleep." "Wow. Thanks Jax for looking out for her. I don't want her going back down that rabbit hole." she says. "I got her." he says before meeting me out on the porch.

We get everything done and head to get the horses ready to ride. I show him how to get Thunder saddled and ready to go and I get Rayne ready. "Rayne and Thunder?" he asked. "When I was little, I liked storms so when we got these two, those were the names I came up with." I say and he smiles. We head out on my favorite trail and are taking it slow, more for his sake than mine. "Tell me a little more about yourself, Teller. Surely you didn't leave California to come all the way out here for no reason." I say. "I moved out here a little while after my wife died. It just wasn't where I needed to be anymore." he says. "You got kids?" I asked. "Two boys. A friend has them until I can find a place and get settled." he says. "You thinking about settling here?" I asked without looking at him. "Thinking about it. Work's good. People are good. I think my boys would love the animals." he says. "How old are they?" I asked. "Abel is six and Thomas is three. Did you ever want kids?" he asked. "Yeah. I wanted a couple of kids. But found out years ago that wasn't in the cards for me." I say sadly. "You know you deserve better than that shit. You can't let him get under your skin." he says. "I know. It's just hard, you know? It was one thing when he left, telling me it was because I couldn't have kids but to see them together, her pregnant, getting what I dreamed of? I couldn't handle it." I say. "I know. But, you're a good woman. You deserve someone that sees that." he says. "Yeah. Maybe." I say.

We ride a little longer before we get to the streams. Dismounting our horses, we head over to the rocks. Climbing up onto one of the rocks, he follows me up. "This is where I go to think. When shit gets to me too much. My dad used to bring me here all the time. Taught me how to fish right over there." I tell him, pointing to a spot a little bit over from us. "Are your boys still in California?" I asked. "Yeah. My friend told me as soon as I was on my feet, he'd fly out with them." he tells me and I nod my head. "I like having you around. You're a big help here." I tell him. "Glad to hear." he says. "Tell me about your dad." he says. "He was the best. Mom died when Kari and I were little so it was always just us and Dad. When he died of cancer, we thought about selling the farm but just couldn't do it. This was his life. After mom died, he bought the farm so that we could have something when we grew up. I honestly couldn't imagine living anywhere else." I say. I see him looking at me and shy away. "We better head back." I say. He gets off the rock first and helps me off before we mount the horses and head back to the house.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jax and I made it back to the house shortly before dinner. Both of us getting showers, we meet in the kitchen as Kari is finishing up dinner. We each take our plates and sit down to eat. I listen to Jax and Kari talk but I don't say much. My mind still won't shut off. After dinner, I help Kari clean up the kitchen. "How you holding up?" she asked me. "I'll be okay." I tell her. "I know you say you will but will you?" she asked softly. "I don't know. I really don't." I tell her before drying off my hands and grabbing a beer and heading to the gazebo.

I was sitting in the gazebo for a little bit when I heard someone come outside. Looking up, it was Jax. Handing me another beer, I say "Thanks." and take the bottle from him. We sit in silence for a few before he speaks. "You know, when I lost my wife, I was angry for a long time. Did some shit I shouldn't have." I look over at him and ask "What do you mean?" He sighs and says, "If I'm going to be here, you need to know the truth." he says. "Okay." I say. "In California, I was in an MC. I was the president actually. Let a bunch of mixed truths cloud my better judgement. Listened to the wrong people. My wife was murdered...by my mother." he tells me and I look at him shocked. "I listened to her tell me that it was some other club that we had a beef with. Killed some people that she told me were responsible. They weren't innocent but they didn't kill her. When the truth finally came out, I killed her. Not because I wanted to but because that was how I grew up. My Old Man was the founded the club with some of his friends back in their hippie days but that was how shit worked. You punished blood with blood. When I realized that I had spiralled too far out of control, I faked my death. The friend that's got my boys? He helped me fake my death but I had to find somewhere that there wasn't a charter so that no one would recognize me. Our charter was the founding charter so they all knew who I was." he tells me. I look him over for a minute when he looks back at me. "If you want me to leave, I'll go but…" he says before I cut him off. "Are you going to kill me or my sister?" I ask. He looks at me shocked and says "No. I won't." I stop for a minute and look back at him and say "Then it's the past. It's not who you are now. As long as you don't steal from us or try to kill us, you have a home." I tell him. After mulling it over for a few I say "Jax?" He looks at me again and I say "Your boys have a home too." before getting up and heading inside. Jax grabs my hand and says "Thank you." I nod before heading inside.

Walking into the house, I see my sister sitting there at the table. "You okay?" I ask. "Yeah. Just worried about you." she says. "I'll be fine. You should get some sleep." I tell her. She hugs me before heading to bed. Jax walks in behind me and I turn to look at him. I turn to look at him and smile softly before heading to bed.

The next month goes by and I am feeling better about myself. I am not letting what Carter and Dana did get to me anymore. I have been riding Rayne more and Jax has been taking Thunder out with me. He's been a good friend so far. We are sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast and Kari says she needs to talk to me. "What's up?" I asked. "Jacob asked me to marry him." she tells me. "That's great." I tell her. I'm happy for her but I know that means she's leaving the house. "Have you set a date?" I asked. "We want to get married this time next year but we were talking." she says and before she can finish I tell her "I get it. You need to be with your husband. It's okay." I tell her. "Yeah, but Jacob and I were talking and he loves working here and Dad left the land to both of us. I was wondering what you thought about us building a house on the other side of the property and sharing the farm?" she asked. "That what you want?" I asked. "It is." she says. "Well, it would give Jax and I more help on the farm and you would still be close. I think it's a great idea. Tell him to come over for dinner and we can get the plans together. We need to start building the house soon in order to have everything done by the time you get married." I tell her. She jumps up and hugs me. "Thank you." she says. "Like you said, it was left to both of us and Dad would want us to stay close." I tell her. After breakfast, I take my coffee out to the gazebo, deciding that I need a few minutes.

I hear someone walk out and I know it's Jax. He always stays close. "Hey." he says. "Hey." I say as he sits down next to me. Pulling my leg over his lap, rubbing my calf, he asks, "You okay?" I look at him and say "Yeah. I'm so happy for her but it makes me wonder if I'll ever have that, you know? Will I find someone that doesn't mind damaged goods?" He looks at me sincerely and says "You ain't damaged goods, Echo." I smile softly and say "Yeah, Jax. I am. I know I am. It's part of my charm." I try and joke but he doesn't smile. "You ain't damaged." he tells me softly but seriously. "Yeah." I say before looking out over the field. Jax looks out at what I'm looking at. "See that spot out there? Where the land flattens out?" I ask. "Yeah." he says. "That's where I think she should build her house. Her kids will all of this land to play on and can come fill my house when they start getting on her nerves." I laugh. "Abel and Thomas will love it here." he says. "Did you talk to your friend?" I asked, looking at him. "Yeah. He told me to let him know when we have their room ready." he says. "Okay. Uh, after we get the stables done, Kari's going to handle the eggs for me today, we can head out and get what they need." I tell him. "Okay. Thanks again for this." he says. "Jax, this is the closest I'm gonna get to having kids in the house. Trust me, this is for me too." I tell him. We sit out there for a few more minutes and finish our coffee before getting our day started.

After getting most of the chores done, we head to town. We get out of the truck, laughing when I stop in my tracks. Carter is walking towards us. "Echo, good to see you." he says. "Hi Carter." I say. He looks at Jax and I say "You remember Jax?" I asked. "Yeah. Good to see you." Carter says being polite. I try to move past Carter but he speaks again. "I'm sorry Echo." I turn to look at him and he walks back over. Jax stays right behind me with his hand on the small of my back. "What?" I asked. "The way I treated you. I'm sorry. I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner sometime?" he asked. I looked at him shocked. "Ain't you married?" Jax asked. "I left Dana. Baby wasn't mine." he says. I laugh. "Are you serious? You left me to have a family with my best friend and because the baby isn't yours you all of a sudden I'm good enough? You have got to be kidding me." I say. "Echo, you have to understand…" he starts and Jax cuts him off. "She don't have to understand shit." Carter looks at him, "This don't concern you." Stepping in front of me, Jax says "If it concerns her, it concerns me. You had your chance. Now walk away while that's still an option." Carter huffs and says "I'll see you Echo." before walking away. Turning to me, Jax asks "You okay?" I nod and the tears start. Pulling me to him I cry into his chest. "I got you Sweetheart." I get myself together and take a deep breath. "You good?" he asked. "Yeah. Thanks for that." He kisses the top of my head and I say "Let's go get the things for your boys."

After picking out new beds and dressers, we start picking out bedding and decor. I'm looking at some clothes for the boys when pick up one of the shirts, I just stare at it for a minute, thinking. I'll never do this for my own kids. Jax sees me and walks over. Putting his arm around my waist he whispers, "Thomas will love that." I look at him and smile sadly. "I was just thinking I won't be able to do this for my own. Something as simple as buying clothes." I say. Jax kisses the top of my head and says "They are going to love you." I look up at him and smile. We finish getting the things we need to get the boys set up and head home to get things ready for Abel and Thomas.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Pulling in the driveway, Jax and I start bringing things in. "Holy shit. You buy out the whole store?" Kari asked laughing. "Almost." Jax says smirking at me. "Hey, kids need a lot of shit dude." I tell him, laughing. I start taking things to the boys' room and start putting the bags in there. I can hear Kari and Jax talking. "Did she just laugh?" Kari asked. "Yeah and that's even after running into Carter." Jax says. "What?" I hear her say. I walk back in to grab another bag and I say "Yeah. Turns out Dana's baby wasn't his. Karma's a bitch ain't it?" Kari looks at me and I just shrug. I walk back into the room that will belong to the boys and put the bags in the closet. We will put everything up when the furniture gets here.

Sitting down at dinner, Jacob has joined us. "I was thinking, There's a spot on the other side of the property that's flat enough to build a house." I tell everyone. "I saw where she was talking about and it looks like the best spot." Jax says. "We can take a look tomorrow if you guys want." I tell them and they agree. "Do you know of any contractors?" Kari asked Jacob. Before he could say anything, "We have some money put up. We can get the materials and can build it ourselves can't we?" I asked. "I don't see why not?" Jax says. "When I'm not in school, I will be here helping." Jacob says. "Me too." Kari says. "No, I need you to help with the boys." I tell her. We talk more and after dinner, Jax and I clean up the kitchen while Kari and Jacob go out for the night.

Sitting out at the gazebo after cleaning the kitchen, Jax is sitting with me like we normally do. This seems to be our nightly routine. Looking out at the yard, I point to a spot and say "I want to put a swing set right there." I tell Jax. "I was thinking that too." he says. My leg is draped across his lap like it normally is when we are out here and he's rubbing my calf. I feel a chill and feel Jax pulling my leg to pull me closer. He puts his arm around me and pulls me into him and I let him. It's been a long time since someone just held me. "I like having you around, Jax." I tell him honestly. "I like being around. Feels good to just be somewhere that I don't have to deal with people shooting at me all the time." he says. Since he moved in, we have talked a lot about his past and mine. "It's peaceful here." I say. He kisses the top of my head. I look up at him and he looks into my eyes before his lips softly touch mine. Our lips move together slowly and it feels like we have been this way forever. Pulling apart, I snuggle farther into him and he holds me closer. We don't say anything else, we just sit and enjoy being there together. After a while I say "Thank you." He rubs his hand up and down my side and asks "For what?" I pull back to look at him and say "Stopping me from letting that shit with Carter pull me down again. You're the reason I'm better. You're the reason I'm over it." I tell him. "Glad I could be of service." He says and we both laugh.

We stay out at the gazebo for a while longer just talking and kissing. A little later, I say "We better head to bed." Kissing him one more time before standing up, he stands and says "Yeah. We better." Walking into the house, we head down the hall and as he goes to walk to his room, I grab his hand. "Bed's this way." I say. He smirks and follows me into my room. Stripping down to just my t-shirt and panties and him to his boxers, we get into bed. We lay face to face and he kisses me. Slowly he deepens the kiss and starts kissing down my neck and to my collarbone. He lifts my shirt over my head and tosses it to the floor. Kissing down my chest, paying attention to each breast before kissing his way down my stomach and lower. Kissing the inside of each thigh, he looks up at me with lustful eyes before he runs his tongue up and down my folds causing me to arch into him. He continues his assault until I find my climax. As I am coming down from my blissful high, he takes his place between my legs and enters me slowly. Taking a moment to let me adjust to his size, he starts to thrust in and out slowly. "Fuck, you're so tight baby." he almost growls in my ear. "Harder Jax. Please. I need you." I moan. He starts to thrust in and out harder until we reach out releases together.

Laying there in bliss, neither of us say anything. My head is on his chest and I can hear his heart beating. I can feel him rubbing his hand up and down my bare back. "What do we do now Jax?" I ask softly. "Do you want to be with me?" he asked. "I think that's obvious." I say laughing. "Seriously. Do you want us to be together?" he asked. "Yeah. I do." I say. "Then I move my things in here and the boys get their own rooms. You good with that?" he asked, looking down at me. "Looks like I need to do some more shopping." I say. We lay tangled in each others arms until we fall into a blissful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning, Kari knocks on my door and says "Breakfast is done." and walks away like she does every morning. "Jax. Hey. Breakfast is done. Time to get up." I whisper as I place kisses to his chest. Opening his eyes, he smiles at me and kisses me softly. "Morning babe." he says before kissing me again. "Morning." I say. He looks at me, concerned as I look away from him. "Hey. You okay?" he asked. I look at him and kiss him softly. "Yeah. I'm good." I say. "You're not changing your mind about us are you?" he asked. I snap my eyes up to meet his. "No. I'm not. Not at all. Just, I think it's all hitting me that I'm actually going to have a family." I say. Smiling he says "Yeah babe. You're getting your family." I kiss him softly and then we start getting dressed.

Heading into the kitchen, we walk in together and Jacob is grabbing his plate as we walk in. "Morning guys." Kari says. "Morning." Jax and I say at the same time. Sitting down to eat, I ask Jacob, "Do you have class today?" He looks up at me and says "No. You need me?" I nod. "If you will, I need you to help Jax today. I need to head back into town to get more decor and more paint for the boys' rooms." I say. "Rooms? I thought they were sharing a room?" Kari asked. "Yeah, uh, Jax is moving into my room." I tell her and she smirks at me. "So, are you two together now?" Jacob asked. "Yeah. We are." Jax says before kissing me softly. "Good." Kari says and we all smile. "Hey, this means, you get your family." she says excitedly. "Yeah. It does." I say. We finish eating and I help Kari clean up the kitchen while the guys finish getting ready for work. We get our coffee to go to the gazebo for our morning ritual of watching the sun come up but Kari and Jacob join us this time. "What themes are you thinking for the boys?" Kari asks. "I was thinking motorcycles for Abel and maybe trucks for Thomas." I say and look up at Jax since I am leaning against him. "That's fine with me." he tells me. "I hear you used to ride?" Jacob asks. "Yeah. I did." Jax says. "I found an old knucklehead, that needs to be rebuilt. I can get a good deal on it and can help rebuild it if you want to look at it." Jacob says. "That would be great man." Jax says. I look up at him smiling and see that he actually looks happy. Kari and Jacob head inside to give us a few minutes and I sit up, looking at him, I ask, "Are you happy here? I mean…" I start and he cuts me off. "I'm happy here. I'm happy with you and my boys will be too." he tells me before kissing me softly. I snuggle up against him until Jacob comes out ready to get started. I take Jax's coffee cup and go to head in the house but he grabs my hand and kisses me again before heading out to get some work done.

Kari and I head into town and are in one of the shops, looking at decor for the boys' rooms. "This is so cute. Isn't this a Harley?" Kari asks. "I think it is. Jax showed me some pictures of him and Abel and this looks like the bike that was in one of the pictures." I tell her. "Let's get it." she tells me. "The frame is big enough to be able to decorate. Do you think it would look right with his name hand painted?" I asked. "Yeah. Look here's one the same size of a truck that looks like Daddy's. We can put Thomas' name on it." she says. "That's a great idea." I say. We look through more things and she asks "So, Jax?" I smile and say "Yeah. Jax." She smiles and hugs me. "I am so glad you are happy and I get two nephews to spoil." she says. I start laughing and say "Us being next door to each other, they can run back and forth between our houses." I tell her. All of a sudden, we turn a corner and there stands Dana. "Hey Echo. How have you been?" she asked and I see her holding a baby in her arms. "I'm good Dana." I say. "I guess you heard about me and Carter?" she asked. "Yeah." I say simply. "I bet that makes you happy that he's come back to you." she says. "He didn't come back to me. Even if he did, I'm seeing someone." I tell her. "Really? Who?" she asks. "Why do you want to know? Gonna try to steal another one of her boyfriends?" Kari asks. "Well, we both know that she won't keep this one. Men want someone to have a family with." Dana says snarkily. Before I could respond, Jax and Jacob walk up behind us. "Good thing this one comes with a family." Jax says, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. I smile at her and say "We better get going. Gotta get more things for the kids. Can't say that it's nice to see you." I smile before turning to Jax and Jacob. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked. "Had to pick up some materials. Found another weak spot in the fence." he says and I nod. Jax looks in our cart and says "The boys will love these. This one looks like my old bike." Jax says. "I remembered the pictures you showed me. We are going to paint their names on the frames." I say. "That'll look good babe." Jax says. "We better get going so we can get that fence done before dark." Jacob says and Jax nods. Kissing me softly he says "We'll see you at home, babe." I smile and say "See you at home." They walk away and Kari looks at me and says "Hot and sweet. Lucky bitch." I start laughing and we finish our shopping and head home to our men.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Pulling up to the house, we are getting things out of the back of the truck when we see a familiar car pull in. Great. Carrying bags to the porch, Carter gets out of his car. "What do you want Carter?" I asked, sighing. "I wanted to talk to you. Can we talk alone?" he asked. "I'll take these things inside. Want me to call Jax?" she asked. "No. I got this." I tell her. She walks inside and I cross my arms over my chest and say "Talk." He looks at me and says "I wanted to talk to you about us getting back together. I miss you. I'm so sorry for everything." he pleads his case. "Carter, I told you, it's not gonna happen. I'm with Jax. I'm living with Jax. I'm gonna be helping him raise his boys. We are never getting back together." I tell him. "What will it take to change your mind?" he asked. "Nothing you can do will change my mind. I want to be with Jax. Not you." I tell him and start to walk into the house. He grabs my arm and says "I won't give up until I have you back. You belong to me. Not him. He's only using you to have someone take care of his kids for him. I know that type. Once he gets what he wants, he'll be out there fucking anything with two legs. Hell, you couldn't even keep me faithful. What makes you think you can keep him?" he asked. "You need to leave." I tell him. "Fine. But I won't stop until I have you back." he says before getting into his car and leaving. I walk out to the stables and get Rayne and head out to clear my head.

I had been sitting down at the streams for a couple of hours when I hear another horse ride up. Looking up, I see Kari on Thunder. She walks over and climbs up on the rock next to me. "You wanna tell me why you're out here?" she asked. "I'm okay." I say. "Bull shit. You only come out here when you need to be close to Daddy and that's usually when things start getting to you. Talk." she says. I feel the tears start to fall again and she puts her arms around me. "It's okay." she says. "No it's not." I tell her. "What did Carter say?" she asked. "Just telling me that he isn't gonna stop until I come back to him. Telling me that I belong to him, not Jax. Saying that I couldn't even keep him faithful and that Jax is using me and when he gets what he wants that he will start cheating on me too." I tell her and start to sob harder. "I wish Daddy were here. He'd know what to say." I tell her. "No, he'd already have a bullet in Carter's head and the grave dug." she tells me and we start to laugh a little. "Yeah, he would." I say. "You know Carter only said that to put this doubt in your head. Jax wouldn't do that to you." she tells me. "I never thought Carter would either and we see how well that turned out." I tell her. "Come on. Let's head home." she tells me. "I think I'm just gonna sit a little longer. Get my head together. I'll be there shortly." I tell her. "Okay. Just don't let him get in your head." she tells me and I just nod. She climbs down off the rock and heads back to the house.

After sitting there a while longer, I notice it's starting to get dark. I climb down from the rock and mount Rayne and head back to the stables. After getting back, I start brushing Rayne. I hear someone walk up and I know it's Jax. "Hey." he says. "Hey." I say without looking at him. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Just needed to clear my head." I tell him. "Wanna talk about it?" He asked, not really pushing me. "I'm okay. Just, Jax?" I asked. "Yeah babe." he says. "Cheatings a dealbreaker for me." I say. He walks over to me and pulls me to him. Tilting my head to look at him, he says "I'd never do that to you. I promise." I nod and pull away from him. "Kari told me what Carter said. He's wrong you know." he says. "I hope so. I just, he voiced my worst fear." I say. "What's that?" he asked. "Not being enough." I tell him, still not looking at him. He cups my face and says "I never thought, after losing Tara, that I would love anyone again. But I do. I love you and want you. You are more than enough. You're my Old Lady and gonna help me raise my kids. You are more than I deserve. You know my past and still you love me. Still you let me in, gave me a place to stay and will be a mother to my boys. Sweetheart, I could never repay you for that. I will never betray you but I will promise you this. He comes near my Old Lady again and I'm handling him next time." he says before kissing me. "I love you Jax. I just let him get in my head and I shouldn't have." I tell him. "Well, don't. And when he tries, I'll be here to remind you how much I love you and want you. Only you." he tells me. I lay my head on his chest and he just holds me close. "Let's head in the house. Spend some time just us." he says as he leads me back to the house.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jax and I head back to the house and are sitting on the gazebo together. I'm sitting next to him and curled into his side. His arms are around me and he kisses the top of my head. "I called Nero and the boys today." he says. I look up at him and asked "What did he say?" Smiling softly, he said "I told Abel and Thomas that they were coming to live with us and you know what Abel said?" he asked. I just look at him. "He asked if you were going to be his new mommy." He said and his smile was bigger. "Really?" I asked. "Yeah. I told him that yeah, you were going to be his new mommy. He asked what your name was and when I told him Echo, he said he liked that name." he told me and I smiled. "I can't wait to meet them." I tell him. "How long before the rooms are ready?" he asked. "Few more days." I say. He smiles and asked "What all needs to be done?" I think for a minute, "Well, I have to paint the walls in Thomas' room and get the furniture moved in and then get the clothes and toys put in there and they will be done." I tell him. "What do you need me to do?" he asked. "Nothing. You're already handling the farm and helping Jacob finish the house, I got this." I tell him and he smiles.

We head inside and head to bed. Kissing him softly, I say, "Love me Jax." He smiles and kisses me again. Deepening the kiss, he enters me and makes love to me all night making me feel more wanted than anyone ever has before. Once we both reach our release, I snuggle into his side and we fall into a blissful sleep.

Waking up the next morning, Kari and I handle breakfast while Jacob and Jax get ready for their day. Sitting down to breakfast, we eat and talk about what we need to do. Once breakfast is done, we all take our coffees out to the gazebo. "So, have you told your boys they're coming here?" Kari asked. "Yeah. Abel asked about Echo being his new mommy." Jax says and Kari and I smile at each other. "How's the house coming?" I asked. "We are moving the furniture in today. You guys should be able to move in tomorrow." Jax says and we all smile. After they head out for the day, Kari and I clean up the kitchen and I she helps me take the dressers outside so that I can paint them.

A couple of hours later, I am painting the dresser for Thomas' room when Carter pulls up. "What do you want?" I asked. "You're coming with me." he tells me. "No, I'm not." I tell him. Next thing I know, he punches me in the face and knocks me out. Waking up, I am tied to a chair in the basement of a house. "Good to see you awake. Now, I told you, you were mine. You hated when I cheated on you but you think it's okay for me to cheat on me with Jax?" he asked and he's clearly pissed. "You and I aren't together. Me and Jax are. You think when he sees I'm missing he won't come right to you?" I asked. "He'd have to find us first. You think I'm stupid enough to take you to my house? No. This is the house that I bought for me and Dana." he says before storming out of the basement leaving me alone.

"Jax!" Kari screams as she comes running up to me and Jacob. "Kari. What's wrong?" he asked. "It's Echo. Carter showed up. He took her." Kari says. "How do you know it was him?" Jacob asked. "I heard them arguing and then saw his car leaving and the paintbrush she was using was laying on the ground." Kari says. He runs his fingers through his hair. "I can't lose her." Jax says. "We'll find her." Jacob says and they all head back to the house.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Kari, Jax and Jacob run back to the house and Jax asked. "You know where he lives?" Kari nods and they get into the truck. Pulling up to Carter's house, the guys get out and Jacob says "Stay in the truck. No matter what, don't get out of this truck." Kari just nods. The guys pull out guns and Jax goes to the back while Jacob goes to the front. No one's home. They come back to the truck. "You know anywhere else he could have taken her?" Jax asked Kari. "No but I know who will know." she says and they head to the next stop.

Pulling up to Dana's house, Kari says, "You guys stay back. She'll be more prone to talk to me." They nod. Kari knocks on the door and Dana answers. "Kari. What are you doing here?" she asked looking past Kari to Jax and Jacob. "Have you see Carter?" Kari asked. "No. Why?" Dana asked. "He took Echo." Kari says. "Shit. Have you checked his house?" Dana asked. "Yeah. No one's there. Is there anywhere else he could have taken her?" Kari asked. "When he found out I was pregnant, he bought us a house. He had the basement made sound proof for a mancave so that the noise wouldn't disturb the baby. He could be there." she tells Kari. "Do you have that address?" Jax asked. "Yeah. Come in. I'll get it." Dana says. They all walk inside and she writes down the address. "When you find her, please tell her I'm sorry...for everything." Dana says. Jax just nods before they walk out the door.

Pulling up to the address, it's starting to get dark and we can see movement in the house. "Kari, you stay here. When we get her, we'll send her out. As soon as you see her, lead her to the truck and stay low." Jax says. Kari nods and the guys head to the house.

I'm still tied to the chair in the basement and Carter is down here with me. I see him pacing. "What do you want, Carter?" I asked trying to keep him distracted from his plan. "I want you back. I want to marry you." he tells me. "That's never going to happen, Carter." I tell him. He gets in my face. "If I can't have you, Jax won't either. You think I'm just gonna let you go and let you have your happy little life with him? You are either with me or you're dead." he tells me. "And then what? You kill me and you still won't have me." I tell him. "No baby. If you aren't with me, we die together." he tells me, kneeling in front of me. "I love you so much. I miss you like crazy. I know I cheated but it won't happen again. I promise. I only married Dana because she was pregnant and I thought it was mine." he tells me. "Carter, you hurt me. You made me feel like I wasn't good enough. I can't help that I can't give you babies. But that didn't give you the right to cheat on me. I don't love you. I love Jax. He's good to me. Please just let me be happy." I try to plead with him. He stands up and backhands me. "You are either with me or we are both dead." he tells me and I don't say anything else.

Carter storms out of the room and it's all silent. I hear something hit against the door and I jump. All of a sudden, Jacob comes running into the room. He unties me and leads me out the back door. "Kari's in the truck. Go." he tells me before heading back inside to help Jax with Carter. Twenty minutes later, Jax and Jacob come out of the house. I jump out of the truck and into Jax's arms, sobbing. "I got you baby. You're safe." he tells me as he rubs his hand up and down my back. I look up at him. "I didn't think I'd see you again." I tell him. "I will always come for you. Never forget that." he tells me before kissing me softly. He tightens his arms around me, pulling me closer. "Let's head home." Jacob says.

We head back to the house and as soon as we are inside, I head to the shower. I didn't want to tell Jax what happened. Standing in the shower, I start to sob. He was going to kill me. I'm leaned, facing the wall in the shower when I feel Jax's arms wrap around me from behind. Turning to face him, I bury my face in his bare chest. He tilts my face up and kisses me softly. Something came over me and I deepen the kiss. He picks me up and puts me against the wall and enters me slowly. Thrusting in and out at a slow pace, all the while, whispering how much he loves me. Once we both reach our release, we clean off and head to bed. Lying in bed, my head on his chest, I think that had they been just a little bit later, he would have found my body instead of rescuing me. I snuggle closer to him and he tilts my head up and says "Talk to me babe." I pull away from him a little and sit up. He sits up next to me and I say "He told me that he wanted me back and if I didn't take him back that he would kill me and then himself." I tell Jax. "Baby, I will never let that happen to you. I will always do everything in my power to keep you and our kids safe." he says. I kiss him and say "I love you Jax." Laying back down together he says "I love you too Echo. Never forget that."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It's been a week since I was taken and other than when he's working on the farm, Jax doesn't leave my side. But I'm not complaining. Kari and Jacob have moved into their house and we finished getting the kids' rooms ready for them to move in. Sitting out on the gazebo, he has a beer and I have a glass of wine. He's holding me closer than normal and just seems more affectionate than he's been. "Are you okay Jax?" I asked. "Yeah babe." he says kissing the top of my head. I sit up and say "Talk to me." He looks at me and says "When Kari told me you were taken, I was scared that I wouldn't find you in time. I walked in to find Tara dead on our kitchen floor. I was so scared I'd find you too late." he tells me. I move to straddle him and say "But you didn't. You found me. You saved me. Again." I say. "Again?" he asked. "Yeah. Again. Jax, I was lost. I thought I was never going to be loved by anyone. I thought I would be alone. You saved me from that. I love you so much. Thank you for saving me." I say before kissing him. Being here in just his shirt and panties since it was just us, he lowers his shorts and moves my panties to the side and enters me slowly. Thrusting in and out slowly, he whispers "I love you Echo." Moaning his name I reach my release with him following behind me. I lay my head on his chest and start laughing. "What?" he asked. "This is the first time I've ever had sex out here." I tell him. Smiling he says "Well, we have to do it more often."

The next morning, we are sitting back on the gazebo having coffee when Kari and Jacob walk over with their own cups. Sitting down, Kari says "You look happy." I look at Jax and back to her and say "I am." The guys get up and start their day and Kari and I sit there talking. "So, how was your night?" she asked. "It as good. We talked and he said he was scared that he wasn't going to find me in time." I tell her. "Damn." she says. "Yeah but I made him feel better." I tell her with a little smirk. "How'd you do that?" she asked. "We had sex here on the gazebo." I tell her and she burst out laughing. "Never saw that coming from you." she tells me. "I know. He just brings out something in me you know?" I say. "Yeah. I can tell. You seem more confident and happier." she tells me. "I am. He's been so good for me. I can't wait until the weekend when the kids get here.

A few days later, Nero is pulling up the driveway. Jax and I are standing there at the bottom of the steps waiting. Nero gets out and Jax walks over to him and they hug. "How you been ese?" he asked. "Good man. Real good." he says and motions me over. "Nero, this is my Old Lady Echo. Babe, this is my friend Nero." We shake hands and Nero moves to the door. Opening the door, we see a little boy get out that looks just like Jax. "Daddy!" he yells and runs into Jax's arms. "Hey Monster. I missed you." he tells Abel. Nero walks over holding another little boy. Handing him to Jax, he lays his head down on Jax's shoulder and Jax kisses the top of his head. "Abel, Thomas, this is Echo. Echo, these are my boys." he introduces us. Abel reaches out his hand and I shake it. "She's pretty daddy." Abel says and I smile. "Well, thank you Abel. You're a cutie too." I say. "You guys ready to see your new rooms?" Jax asked and they both nod their heads.

We walk into the house and Nero follows. While Jax shows the boys around, Nero and I are in the kitchen getting coffee. "So, how are you adjusting to all this?" he asked. "Good. I was told years ago that I would never have kids so having them here is a blessing for me too." I tell him. He smiles and says "Abel was talking all the way here about how he was getting a new mommy. Jax tell you about his past?" he asked. "Yeah. He told me all of it. The club, Tara, all of it." I tell him. "He tell you about Gemma?" he asked. "Yeah. He did. I'm sorry for your loss Nero. Jax said you cared about her." I say. "I did but I get why he had to do it." he tells me.

Jax walks into the kitchen and we say our goodbyes to Nero. "Please don't be a stranger. You're welcome here anytime." I tell him. "Thank you. I'll see you around." he says before leaving. Looking at the boys, I ask "Are you guys hungry?" They both nod their heads yes and I start lunch. The four of us are sitting down eating when Abel asks "Can we call you mommy?" I look at him and say "You can call me Echo or mommy. Whichever you are comfortable with." I tell him. "I think I'll call you mommy." I say. "Me too." Thomas says. I smile and Jax leans over and kisses me softly and says "See. Told you it would be good."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After lunch Jax asks "You guys wanna see the farm?" Abel and Thomas both nod their heads yes. Thomas reaches for me and I take him from Jax. I see Jax smile as he lays his head on my shoulder. "I got you baby boy." Jax takes Abel's hand and we walk out to the barn and show them the horses. "This one here is Thunder, and this is Rayne." I tell them. "They're pretty." Abel says. "Wanna pet them?" Jax asks and both boys smile. We move down a little farther and I say "These two are younger than mine and Daddy's horses. We just got them for you two." I say. "Really?" Abel asks. "Yeah Monster. Wanna name them?" Jax asks and Abel's eyes light up. "Nelly." Abel says. "I like that one Buddy." I look at Thomas and ask "You wanna name yours?" He looks at the horse and says "Bunny." I look at him and say "Bunny it is." I say. Jax leans over and kisses me softly. After showing the boys around and showing them the animals, we head back to the house.

That evening, I'm cooking dinner when Kari and Jacob walk in. "Hey. How'd it go with the boys today?" she asked. "Good. Really good. They named their horses. Nelly and Bunny." I tell her. "That's great." She tells me. "Jacob, can you tell the boys it's time to eat?" I asked. He nods and heads into the living room to get Jax and the boys. Once we are all in the kitchen, we sit to eat. "Boys, this is your Aunt Kari and your Uncle Jacob." Jax tells the boys. We start eating and after a few minutes Abel asks "Mommy, can I have more milk?" I smile and say "Yeah baby." I kiss the top of his head and get my boy more milk. After dinner, Kari is helping me clean the kitchen. "Abel had no problem calling you mommy did he?" she asked smiling. "I know. I never thought I'd have anyone call me mommy." I tell her and I feel a tear fall down my face. Kari pulls me to her and all of a sudden I hear Abel ask "Mommy, are you okay?" I turn to look at him and sit on the chair. I pull him to me and say "Yeah baby. These are happy tears." I tell him. "You're happy?" he asked. "Very happy." I say before pulling him onto my lap. "Baby, I never thought I'd be a mommy. You, your brother and your daddy have made me so happy." I tell him. He hugs me and says "I'm happy too mommy." I look at Kari to see her wipe a tear away.

That night, the four of us are in the living room watching a movie. Abel is snuggled into Jax's side while I am snuggled into the other with Thomas curled into my lap. I look down and see both boys are sleeping. I stand up with Thomas and carry him to his room, and tuck him into bed. Kissing the top of his head, he snuggles into his stuffed frog that I bought for him. Walking out of Thomas's room, Jax is carrying Abel to his room. I follow him in and as he tucks Abel in, we hear him say "Night mommy. Night Daddy." before he falls back to sleep.

Walking out to the gazebo with a glass of wine and Jax with his beer, we have the monitors with us. I'm snuggled up to Jax and neither of us are saying anything. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Just thinking." I tell him. "Talk to me." he says. I sit up and say "When Kari and I were cleaning the kitchen, Abel saw me crying." he looks at me concerned. "They were happy tears. I pulled him to my lap and said I didn't think I'd ever be a mommy but him and Thomas calling me mommy made me really happy." I tell him. He just smiles. "He's such a good kid. They both are." I tell him. "I noticed Thomas didn't have any problem falling asleep in your lap." he says and I just smile. "I finally have my family." I tell him before kissing him softly.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The next morning, Jax, Abel, Thomas and I are sitting at the table eating when there's a knock at the door. Jax answers the door and Nero walks in. "Hey brother." Jax says. "Hey man. Lawyer asked me to drop these off. They're the papers you requested. Said all you have to do is sign them and he would get them filed." Nero says as they walk into the kitchen. "Abel, Thomas, why don't you two go watch tv while Mommy and I talk to Uncle Nero." Jax says and Abel takes Tommy's hand and they leave the room. "What's going on?" I asked. "Come here." he says. I walk over and he pulls me into his lap. "Nero's lawyer drew up papers for us making you a legal guardian over the boys." he explains. Nero puts the papers in front of me and I sign them and so does Jax. "Well, I'll get these to the lawyer and they will mail you your copies." he says. We say our goodbyes before he leaves.

Walking into the living room, Abel looks at Jax and asks "Uncle Nero gone?" Jax nods and Abel goes back to the show he was watching. We sit on the couch and Thomas walks over with his sippy cup and says "More juice Mommy?" I get up to get it and he follows me into the kitchen. I look and see Jax watching us. I hand him his cup and he says "Thank you Mommy." I can never get enough of him saying that.

The next few months go by and everything has fallen into place. Abel is in school and doing great. Thomas is getting bigger and smarter everyday. Jax and I are planning our wedding while Kari breaks the news that she's pregnant. Live could not get any better. I have my family and for once, I'm truely happy.


End file.
